PNW BackStories

10/04/2026

10/04/2026

Songwriters Say What We Can’t

Kathy and I attended the https://livingstonsongwriterfestival.org in Livingston, Montana, on Saturday.
We had no idea what we were signing up for.
We talked to people in town; even they had no idea what it was all about or the magnitude of what was happening.

You pay the fee to visit various venues around town where two, three, or four songwriters perform, one after the other for a little more than an hour.
Each artist talks about the song, what they were thinking, and why they wrote it, giving insight that puts meaning to the lyrics.

At the first session we went to, we had no idea what to expect.
We walked into a circle of chairs with the artists in the middle.
There weren’t a lot of people there like us; I think a lot of people didn’t know what was going on.

As they started to perform, we were sucked into the moment.
These people are amazing writers, with beautiful voices, and the way they handled the performance drew you deeper into a place where you were hanging on every word in each song.

You can look at the link up top to see who all was there.
These are troubadours and writers whose songs you might recognize as being sung by others.

We spent much of the day moving from venue to venue, exposed to new styles and profound lyrics.
There were several times I found a lump in my throat as I listened to the stories being told.
I had tears in my eyes as these wordsmiths exposed my story, my feelings, my life, with the words in their songs.
That is the magic of music.
Someone who doesn’t even know you writes a lyric that exposes your deepest emotions.
Not because they know you, but because the human condition is so different for each of us and yet so similar.

At one of the evening events, a guy comes walking up to me and says, “Hey Rick, how are you doing?” It was the owner of Mucho Gusto, my favorite restaurant in Eugene.

I hope more people learn about this festival.
It happens every year in Livingston, Whitefish, Red Lodge, Montana, and in Cody, Wyoming.

For three days in October, Livingston’s Yellowstone Songwriter Festival celebrates the art of songwriting, set against the stunning backdrop of Livingston, Montana. Nestled in the heart of the Yellowstone River Valley, a stone’s throw from Yellowstone Park, this Festival brings together talented...

10/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/19BPsFn4S1/?mibextid=wwXIfr

10/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EG7gaeMUg/

Songwriters Get Together

Kathy and I are in Livingston, Montana, for a songwriters’ event.
Kathy saw this years ago and has always wanted to go.
We have no idea what to expect.
There’s a lot of music and apparently conversations with actual songwriters.

I assume those who want to become songwriters are here to learn.
We’re here to explore.
The event happens each year in Livingston, Whitefish, and Red Lodge, Montana.

We’re staying in a little motel along Motel Alley.
Livingston is an up-and-coming town.
Motel rooms are super expensive, even this time of year.
We’re paying 89 dollars a night.
The management is nice.
Rooms are clean.
The Livingston Inn is a great option.
(My wife just leaned over and said, don’t tell the world! lol)

We’ll let you know more as the weekend unfolds.
We’re getting ready to launch our new production, The American Nomads.
Our van is under construction in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
Why there?
We found https://www.facebook.com/TravelerVans
A small shop that builds high-quality, hardwood interior, sleek Sprinter Van buildouts for a super reasonable price.

The van should be ready by November.
I’ve spent the last two weeks looking for a massive front bumper.
When you live in Montana, you need something that can stand up to wildlife jumping out in front of your rig.

I found a really cool one, but damn, safety is expensive.
Okay, I’ll leave you to your Saturday.
If you aren’t following our page, come on over.
https://www.facebook.com/exploregonbackstories/

We’re also on Instagram and YouTube, and we’ll soon have a website.
https://www.youtube.com/-travel

09/07/2026

I Just Want Something Real

I just got duped into listening to a new singer, only to find out after a little research that the guy is a fake.
He’s A.I. generated.

As I sit here on the front porch of a little house in Sheridan, Wyoming, a church bell tolls in the distance.
The sun is coming up like it did yesterday and the day before.

We’ve been in Wyoming for six days.
A little work, a lot of pleasure, and plenty of conversations.

There’s something rugged, real, and simple about the people of Wyoming.
I realize the A.I. singer isn’t the only one who tricked me.
Social media undermines our humanity, makes us lose touch with reality, and exposes the ugliness of mankind.

I met a logger who spent the day introducing me to his friends at the Buffalo cafe.
Every one of them shook my hand, as men do, and they looked me in the eye.
There’s no fist bumping out here.
It’s a firm grasp of the hand, or you go home.
The crags and wrinkles on their faces hold an honesty you don’t see in the photoshopped physiques of men on Instagram or TikTok.
When you shake a calloused, rugged hand, it tells you more than a profile picture.

We talked with so many people.
Folks from Virginia, California, Oregon, Montana, and Wyoming.
Ranchers, loggers, financial guys, and money managers.
None of those conversations had anything to do with the headlines in the paper, the media, or social channels.

People want honesty, loyalty, and a sense of belonging mixed with purpose.
We want to belong to something bigger than ourselves.
In rural America, bu****it can’t be covered up.
When something stinks, they’ll tell you, and nothing you can say will convince them otherwise.

I want more of that America.
I want a nation that remembers what truth and justice smell like.
A place where hard work still matters.
I pray our infatuation with puffy lips, sculpted abs, doctored pictures, and perception over substance will die.
What America needs is a reality check, and the best place to find that is in a small cafe, in rural America, sitting face to face with people who couldn’t care less what you do, but how you do it.

09/04/2026

It’s Up To Us

I’m getting out of the car in downtown Sheridan, Wyoming, when this young man walks up to me and says, “I see by your license plate you’re from Montana. I’m headed there and want to know what you recommend I stop to see.”

That starts a whole conversation with this 22-year-old recent graduate named Josh.
He is leaving his life in Fort Collins, Colorado, for a fresh start in Bellingham, Washington.
We gave Josh a laundry list of places to visit along the way.

As Kathy and I talked with this young man, my mind wandered to a podcast I had listened to earlier in the day.
An expert was talking about young men in America and how they are becoming addicted to gambling, p**n, and ma*****na, thanks to steps taken by leaders in our government.
Yep, those we have entrusted with leadership are opening doors, paving the way for their friends to make money and our young people to slip into the abyss.

The numbers are staggering.
The consequences real.
Young men in our country are being led down a path of destruction, so that rich people can get richer and elected leaders can be re-elected.
The whole thing disgusts me.
I won’t point fingers at anyone in particular, but you don’t have to dig deep to figure out who is behind it.

But here we are talking with Josh, and I realize the problem is real, but so is Josh and his idealistic hope for the future.

Kathy and I are embarking on a new venture.
We are The American Nomads, just months away from traveling around to find more people like Josh to inspire the rest of us.

We saw a poster for a fundraiser to help search and rescue workers at a local brewery and showed up.
We met Russell, a local at the bar, and Preston.
Both filled us in on the town, the people, and how change is here, but they aren’t afraid of it; they are managing it.
Oh, I have to tell you, the raffle prizes at the events were guns.
Where else would you find that?

As I prepare to meet a logger in Buffalo, I can’t help but think that the world is in a troublesome place.
Our leaders are digging themselves a hole they can’t escape.
There are consequences to our actions, and I believe they will be severe.

But there are also good people out there who hold on to hope.
People who create a better, less talked-about narrative that needs to be told, that needs to be heard by you and me.

Politicians or those who think they are in charge will solve our problems.
The solutions will come from people like us.
For too long, apathy has been our dance partner.
It’s time someone cut in and stopped them from stepping on our toes.
It’s time to create a new story of America.
You in?

The U of O sweatshirt Josh is wearing is just a coincidence.
Come follow us on our FB Page
https://www.facebook.com/exploregonbackstories/

08/27/2026

Stop Talking Yourself Out of Living

We need to think twice before we utter the word “But.”
How many times in our heads do we say something like “I would look for a more interesting job, but?”
We allow the fear of failure or public scorn to keep us trapped in a prison of our own making.

Safe is no way to live.
We don’t want to act on every whim and fancy, but we also should never allow the “but” to keep us from exploring what could be, the adventure of a lifetime.

Comfort is the enemy of change.
I remember when I left KEZI after more than 25 years of working my ass off to get to where I was comfortable.
I didn’t have to worry about my job or future; I’d planned it out, failed enough to learn, and got to the top place in the business.

Looking back, I see how I gravitated to stories about people who dared to scrap it all and try something crazy.
I didn’t know at the time I was being infected by a desire to leave what was to find something more fulfilling.
I had plenty of “buts” in my way.
“But if I quit, how will I make a living?”
“But I’ve worked hard to get to this place, and now I’m going to throw it away?”

When I finally quit, there was a sense of relief and fear.
The next seventeen years were a mix of failures and successes.
Honestly, mostly failure.
I find failure is a better companion.
Humility creates lasting results.
Failure keeps us honest.
Falling on our face allows us to look up from the depths of ourselves and into the eyes of our creator.
Success is fleeting.

Now, Kathy and I are at another “but” moment.
We’re selling our house and have no idea where we are going to live.
But what if we’re homeless?
What if we can’t find a place to live?
Shut up, but.

We read where people wait too long to do the things they want to do and find they can no longer do them.
So, we bought a Sprinter Van and plan to take it on the road to discover new places and people to write about.
But what if it’s too hard?
What if we don’t like it?
What if, what if, what if?

Yeh, what if it’s the most amazing thing we’ve ever done?
We’ll never know if we keep listening to the butts. (lol)
Shut up, soul crushers and negative nellies.
We’re trying to live an adventurous life, not a comfortable one.

08/03/2026

07/05/2026

Found a little friend on our high mountain hike today.